Oscar McMaster
Oscar McMaster (OSCAR-EMR) is an open-source Electronic Medical Records system created by Dr. David Chan and McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine, serving primary care physicians and family doctors across Canadian academic medical centers and community practices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersHamilton, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Oscar McMaster does
Oscar McMaster, branded as OSCAR-EMR, is an open-source Electronic Medical Records system created by Dr. David Chan and McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine, headquartered in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The legal and governing entity is McMaster University, a public Canadian university; the firmographic record lists 1-10 employees, reflecting the lean coordination team within the academic department rather than a commercial headcount. OSCAR is deployed as a Java-based web application distributed as WAR files and governed under McMaster University's GPL Version 2+ open-source license, with source code publicly available on Bitbucket repositories (OSCAR Pro managed by WELL EMR Group and McMaster's stable branch) and developer collaboration coordinated through the SourceForge Developer Listserv. Quality management is aligned with ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001, and OSCAR is positioned as the clinician's integrated hub within an ever-expanding digital health ecosystem of services and apps.
The product serves primary care physicians and family doctors across academic medical centers and community practice settings in Canada, including McMaster, Queen's, McGill, and the University of British Columbia, with adoption described as extending to thousands of physicians across diverse practice settings. The core value proposition centers on being secure, connected, feature-rich, and cost-effective, with OSCAR positioned as one of the top EMRs in Canada. Notable technical components include the apps.health integration platform created by Well Health Technologies, which coordinates and profiles authorized third-party integrations with OSCAR software that meet minimum standards for API usage, privacy and security due diligence, and no server-side deployment requirements.
The business model is fundamentally open-source distribution: OSCAR-EMR is freely available under GPL Version 2+, with no publicly disclosed pricing and no direct license revenue captured by McMaster. Commercial monetization is channeled indirectly through affiliated organizations such as WELL EMR Group, which manages OSCAR Pro as a quality-managed, supported deployment, and through the apps.health integration ecosystem by Well Health Technologies. The OSCAR brand is a protected trademark that may only be used or referenced with written authorization from McMaster, and organizations wishing to offer OSCAR software must affiliate with McMaster and meet defined standards for quality, innovation, and ethical data stewardship. No funding rounds, acquisitions, or revenue figures are disclosed in the source data.
Oscar McMaster firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Oscar McMaster
- Legal name
- McMaster University
- Website
- https://oscar-emr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Oscar McMaster (OSCAR-EMR) is an open-source Electronic Medical Records system created by Dr. David Chan and McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine, serving primary care physicians and family doctors across Canadian academic medical centers and community practices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Oscar McMaster industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- EHR Extensions, APIs, App Marketplaces & SMART-on-FHIR Apps (HLACAAAN)
Keywords
Where Oscar McMaster is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamilton
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Oscar McMaster business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Open-Source EMR Distribution: OSCAR-EMR is distributed as open-source software under GPL Version 2+ license. The source code is freely available for anyone to download, use or modify. Revenue generation is facilitated through affiliated organizations like WELL EMR Group that provide managed services, support, and quality-managed deployments.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Oscar McMaster product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OSCAR-EMR is an open-source Electronic Medical Records system created by Dr. David Chan and McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine. It is a Java-based web application distributed under McMaster University's GPL Version 2+ license and is positioned as a clinician's integrated hub within a digital health ecosystem of services and apps. Quality-managed deployments (OSCAR Pro) are available through the affiliated organization WELL EMR Group.
Product overview
OSCAR-EMR is a single, unified open-source electronic medical record platform for family medicine practices. The core OSCAR-EMR product provides secure, connected, feature-rich EMR functionality governed by McMaster University's GPL Version 2+ license. Quality-managed implementations (OSCAR Pro) are available through Well EMR Group, an affiliated organization. The platform is the designated integration hub for a growing ecosystem of third-party apps and services coordinated through apps.health by Well Health Technologies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- OSCAR-EMR
Companies that use Oscar McMaster
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Oscar McMaster technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Oscar McMaster partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- WELL EMR GroupcoreWELL EMR Group is McMaster's affiliated organization for OSCAR software distribution, managing OSCAR Pro. They provide support, quality management, and coordination of development work to ensure security and regulatory requirements are fulfilled. Contact: [email protected]
- Well Health Technologies (apps.health)coreWell Health Technologies has created apps.health to coordinate, confirm, and profile authorized integrations with OSCAR software. Each app profile lists OSCAR versions for which integration has been confirmed as meeting minimum standard requirements (uses APIs, due diligence for privacy/security, no server-side deployment).
- McGill UniversitycorePart of the network of engaged clinicians collaborating with McMaster on OSCAR development and knowledge sharing among a vibrant community.
- Queen's UniversitycorePart of the network of engaged clinicians collaborating with McMaster on OSCAR development and knowledge sharing among a vibrant community.
- University of British ColumbiacorePart of the network of engaged clinicians collaborating with McMaster on OSCAR development and knowledge sharing among a vibrant community.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Oscar McMaster competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Oracle Health (Cerner): Enterprise health IT platform resulting from Oracle's acquisition of Cerner. Comparable in providing large-scale EHR and clinical workflow solutions with API-driven integration ecosystems.
- eClinicalWorks: Large US ambulatory EHR vendor serving primary care and specialty practices. Comparable in targeting community physicians with feature-rich EMR functionality and an integrated app ecosystem.
- Practice Fusion: US-based ambulatory EHR platform historically targeted at independent primary care practices. Comparable in serving community physicians with a streamlined, cost-conscious EHR offering.
- TELUS Health: Major Canadian digital health incumbent offering EMR solutions (e.g., Med Access, PS Suite) to physicians and clinics. Competes with OSCAR in the Canadian primary care EMR market but as part of a much broader health services portfolio.
- Epic Systems: Dominant enterprise EHR vendor in North America. Provides a comparable electronic medical record platform with API/app extensibility, though oriented toward large hospital systems rather than open-source community distribution.
Direct peers
- OpenEMR: Open-source EMR/EHR project with global community adoption. Most directly comparable to OSCAR in terms of open-source licensing model and primary care EHR functionality.
- WELL Health Technologies: Parent of WELL EMR Group, the affiliated commercial distributor of OSCAR Pro. Operates a Canadian clinic and digital health platform with overlapping EMR and primary care technology focus, making it the most direct commercial counterpart.
- Medfar: Canadian EMR vendor behind the Myle platform, serving primary care clinics across Canada. Directly competes with OSCAR for family physician adoption in the Canadian market.
- QHR Technologies (Accuro EMR): Long-standing Canadian EMR vendor (Accuro) used by family physicians and specialists. Competes head-to-head with OSCAR for Canadian primary care market share.
Regional players
- Think Research: Canadian health technology company providing clinical software and EMR-adjacent tools to primary care and specialty practices. Comparable in serving Canadian clinicians with digital workflow solutions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Oscar McMaster social profiles
Digital presenceOscar McMaster compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Oscar McMaster financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Oscar McMaster leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Oscar McMaster funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Oscar McMaster M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Oscar McMaster
What does Oscar McMaster do?
OSCAR-EMR is an open-source Electronic Medical Records system created by Dr. David Chan and McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine. It is a Java-based web application distributed under McMaster University's GPL Version 2+ license and is positioned as a clinician's integrated hub within a digital health ecosystem of services and apps. Quality-managed deployments (OSCAR Pro) are available through the affiliated organization WELL EMR Group.
Is Oscar McMaster a public or private company?
Oscar McMaster is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Oscar McMaster founded?
Oscar McMaster was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Oscar McMaster based?
Oscar McMaster is headquartered in Hamilton, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Oscar McMaster make money?
One revenue line is on record: open-Source EMR Distribution.
Who are Oscar McMaster's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Oracle Health (Cerner), eClinicalWorks, Practice Fusion, TELUS Health and Epic Systems. Direct peers are OpenEMR, WELL Health Technologies, Medfar and QHR Technologies (Accuro EMR). Think Research is listed as a regional player.
Does Oscar McMaster have an API?
Yes. OSCAR software integrates with external apps and services within a digital health ecosystem. The source code is available on Bitbucket repositories (OSCAR Pro managed by Well EMR Group, and McMaster's stable branch). Developers can access source code to create integrations, and Well EMR Group's development team coordinates commits to ensure security and regulatory requirements are fulfilled. Specific API documentation endpoints, authentication methods, or rate limits are not explicitly detailed in the available source material.
What industry is Oscar McMaster in?
Oscar McMaster's product category is Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACAAAN, EHR Extensions, APIs, App Marketplaces & SMART-on-FHIR Apps. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.